Car-door.



No. 648,889. Patented May I, I900.

O. F. THOMAS.

OAR DOOR.

(Application filed may 29, 1899.)

' 5 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

0 N y a M d e t n e t a BI gm. A M 0 H l F U 9 8 8 4 6 0 N Sheets-Sheet2.

CAR DOOR.

(Application filed May 29, 1899.)

(No Model.)

ifa'fizesses:

No. 648,889. Patented my I, I900. C. F. THOMAS.

' CAR D008.

(Application filed. May 29, 1899.)

(No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 3,

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No. 648,889. I Patented May I, I900.

- 'c. F. THOMAS.

CAR DOOR.

(Application filed May 29, 1899.)

(No Model.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 4,

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' No. 648,889. Patented May 1, I900.

c. F. THOMAS.

cAn noon.

(Application filed May 29, 1899.) Y

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

anwwltoz i i i UNlTED STATES CHRISTOPHER F. THOMAS, OF ALEXANDRIA,VIRGINIA.

CAR-DOOR.

SI'ECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 648,889 dated May 1,1900 Application filed May-29. 1899- Sarial No. 718.671. CNo model.) a

To all whom it nmyconcern: I

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER F. THOMAS, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Alexandria, in the county of Alexandria and State ofVirginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Doors and Fixtures, of which the following I 'flush with the car side,the said door and means to be so constructed that the door can easilyand quickly be shifted from thetrack to its fiushposition and with equalfacility be lowered and moved from in front of the door-opening and thelocking means so fashioned and adapted that'it will secure either aflush or other door in position.

With these main objects in view my invention consists in certainnovelties of construction and arrangements and combinations of partsherein set forth, and specified in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate one example of the physicalembodiment of my improvements relating to the solid door and.

the so-called fixtures, one modification of the centering device for thedoor, and one example of a slat or non-flush door, the said examplesbeing embodied by the best modes I have so far devised'for applying thegeneral principles of the invention.

Figure l is a View in elevation of a sectionof a car side, showing asolid door and a slat door both in open positions. Fig. 2 is a' sectionof a car side, showing. the solid door closed flush and locked. Fig. 3is a perpendicular section of Fig. 2, taken on line w m. Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 2 with the door dropped upon the door-track and inposition to be moved away from the door opening.- Fig. 5 is aperpendicular section -of Fig. 4:, taken on line :1 y. Fig. 6 is asection of an upper corner-of the door and the adjacent portion of thecar side, illustrating the relative positions of the doorhanger and acorner bracket when the door is flush. Fig. 7 is lowered upon the track.Fig. 8 illustrates plan and side views of adoor track bracket,

one being located adjacent each upper cornerof the door-opening. Fig. 9illustrates plan and side views of the end track-brackets. Fig. 10 showsplan and side views of a door-hanger adapted for use with a solid door.Fig. 11 illustrates the rotary screw-cam and the bearing therefor, thelatter made'in two parts and shown separated with the screw cam between.Fig. 12 shows face, plan, and top plan views of the screw-cam. Fig. 13is a side view of the screw-cam. Fig. 14 illustrates face and end viewsof the grooved plate used with the solid door. Fig. 15 shows face andend views of the hanger adapted for use with a slat door." Fig. 16illustrates the plate adapted for use with the same door. Fig. 17 is amodified form of'a centering device. Fig. 18is a section throughthebottom of thedoor, illustrating the form and ideation of theweather-strip.

Referring to the several figures, the numeral 1 designates a car sidehaving a central opening, as usual in freight-cars; 2, a solidslidingdoor; 2, an iron weather-strip secured to the lower edge of the door, asshown; 3, an

upper door-track, and 4 end track-brackets,-

which support the track in the usual way some distance from and parallelwith the ear-wall,

one end of each bracket being bolted to the wall, as shown. I

' 5 5 are the two track-brackets, which are located adjacent the uppercorners of the door-opening; 6 6, oblique grooves made in the brackets,each bracket having one groove only, which faces the door-opening whenthe bracket is in position and slants relative to the length of thebracket.

7 is the central bracket, and 8 an oblique I increase its width ordiameter at that point.

1O 10 are the door-hangers," one located at each corner of the door.- l111 are projecting arms grooved on the un- IOO der sides and adapted toengage over the track.

and slide thereupon.

a view similar to Fig. 6, but with the door 12 12 are. journals orprojections, oneintegral with each hanger-and adapted to slide intothe'grooves 6 6 in the brackets 5,10

cated adjacent the corners of thedoor-openmg.

13 represents door-guides bolted to the car side in line with thesidesill, as'shown.

14 represents door-stops which limit the movement of the dooror doors onthe track.

15 is a rotaryscre\v-cam; 16, the cam thread or flange which extendsfrom the point 17 to the point 18 in a spiral line.

l9isacylindricaljournal; 20, a flange; 21,

- a journal; 22, a recess cut away at one side only, as shown; 22', abolt or rivet hole; 23,

a lever-bar; 24, a slot at one end thereof; 25', a perforation at theother end; 26, a belt or -j rivet with flush heads, which secures theend of the lever-bar loosely and pivotally in the recess .22 of. thescrew-cam; 27, a staple on the car side adapted to engage the slot 24 ofthe lever-arm.

[28 is the inner half or part of a bearing adapted to receive thescrew-cam.

29 is a flange which sets into the edge of the cai"-sill-; .ih), a lowerflange; 31, a hole, which receives the journal 19 of the screw- I cam.

- 2 is a seat; 33, the outer half 6f the hearing for the screw-cam; 34,an upper flange thereof; 35, a recess to fit the flange 30. of the innerhalf of the bearing; 36, a, perforation or hole to receive the journal21 of the-screwcam.

' 37 represents bolts which fasten the bearing, with the inclosedscrew-cam, to the car side.

38 is a plate bolted to the lower edge of the door adjacent thescrew-cam; 39, a slot in the lower edge of the plate, curved, as shownby the dotted lines.

-40 is a rod loosely fitting a longitudinal holein the body ofthe'doorand constituting a centering device, the lower end adapted to beengaged by the screw-cam and the upper end when raised to enter thegroove 8 in the central bracket. i

' 41 is a washer on the'rod to limit its downward movement. I

-, 42 is a slat or ventilating door.

43 represents hangers adapted for use with a slat door, the same beingidentical with the solid-door hangers, except that the journals orprojections are omitted.

44 is a plate for use with a slat door; 45, a recess in the edge toreceive the outer partof the screw-earn, and '46 is a modified form ofcentering device secured to the top edge of the door and provided with apoint 47, which will engage the groove Sin the central bracket 7 whenthe door is raised by the screweam.

It willbe observed that the two halves of the bearing for the screw-camare made with 6 of the drawings.

wise movement.

weather-board; but these may be omitted, if.

desired.

The assembling of the several enumerated parts and castings will beobvious from an inspection of the drawings and need not be described.

The modus opal-amid of the solid door is as follows: The door being inopen position, as shown in Fig. 1, and-it being desired to close itflush, the door is first moved along the track toward the left till itis directly opposite the door-opening, as shown in Figs.'4, 5, and 7,and the rod40 or point of the centering device 46 registers with thegroove 8 in the central bracket 7. Then the lever-bar 23 in Fig. 4 ismoved upwardly and rotated through an arc of one hundred and eightydegrees, so as to occupy the position shown in Fig. 2. This actionrotates the screw-cam in its bearings, causes the thread or flangethereof to, first,

strike the lower end of the rod 40 and advance the upper end thereofinto the groove 8 of the bracket, and, second, to engage the slot 39 inthe plate 38 and lift and force the door bodilyinto the opening, so thatit will occupy the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 flush with the wallof the car. It will' be noticed that the groove 8 of the bracket 7,being larger at the bottom than at the top, will guide the centeringdevice to the right or left, and with it the door, should the latterhappen to, be slightly out of line when moved in front of the opening.When the door is centered by the rod or device 46 at the top of thedoor, the journals or projections 12 12 on the hangers 10 10 willregister. with the grooves-6 6 in the corner-brackets 5 5, and asthedoor is lifted by the cam they will travel up the grooves and finallyoccupy the position shown in Fig. A reverse movement of the lever 23will allow the door to drop by gravity to the position shown in Fig. 7,where the arms 11 11 of the hangers 1O 10 rest upon the track. "A lookor fastening or seal of any kind'may be employed to hold the lever-barafter it has been caused to engage the staple 1 27 on the car side.-

The slat or other door 42 is not adapted to close flush, and thereforethe particular hangers shown in Fig. 15 are employed to'support it. Theplate 44 shown in Fig. 16 is'also of slightly different constructionfrom that shown in Fig. 14. The recess 45in the plate is not a slot, butis open'at one side, as indicated by dotted lines. This peculiarityallows the barn to lock the slat door in front of the opening withoutraisingit from the track. Assuming the slat door to occupy a positionsimilar to the position of the solid door shown in Fig. 5, the rotationof the screw-cam will not raise the door, as the thread or flange 16will pass to one side of the plate,but the circular part of thescrew-camlat 48 will engage the recess 45 and hold the 'door against endWhile I have shown in Fig. 1 both a solid door and a slat or ventilatingdoor, either may be used without the other. In that case the stops 14should be located differently. As illustrated, each door serves as astop for the other when moved in front of the opening.

Taken as a whole the pictured examples are only intended to representthe best modes for embodying my improvements and are not to be regardedas exhaustive of my invention.

Many changes can be introduced in the form or shape of the castings atthe discretion of the manufacturer and even some parts omit-' ted orothers substituted and myinvention still be embodied.v For, instance, ,Imay in some cases employ rollers to supportthe door on the track anddispense'with theprojections on the door-hangers and the grooves in. the

corner-brackets and" use the central bracket and centering device only,or I may omit the centering device and use the corner-brackets to guidethe door into-a flush position. These and man y' other changes" andmodifications will not constitute a substantial departure,

What I claim'-is'---- 7 1. The combination with "a movabledoor suitablysupported, of arotary'screw-cam'located adjacent the. bottom of thedoor-open-.

'ing and in a stationary position independentof the door andnot movablewith it;-tsaid screw-camadapted when rotated toengage the door; when ina position in front of the openin,. r,.and lock it; in substance as setforth.

2. The combination'witha movable door suitably supported,.ofa rotaryscrew-cam 1ocated adjacent the bottom of the door-opening andindependent of and not movable with the door; the said screw-cam adaptedwhen rotated to engage and shift the door inthe direction of thedoor-opening; in substance as set-forth.

' V 3. The combination with .a movable door suitably supported, of arotary screw-cam lo- 'cated adjacent the bottom of the door-opening andindependent of the door; said screw-cam adapted when rotated to elevateand shift the substance as set forth.

4. The combination with a movable door suitably supported, of a rotaryscrew-cam independent of the door; said screw-cam adapted when rotatedin one direction to shift the door to a flush position, and when rotatedin the opposite direction to move the door away from the door-opening;'in substance as set door in the direction of the door-opening; in

forth.

5. The combination with a door, of the screw-cam having journals 19 and21 supported in bearings 28 and 33, and a fiangc'or thread 16; and aplate, as 38, provided with a slot, as 39; in substance as set forth.

6. The combination with a movable door suitably supported, of ascrew-cam independent of the door; bearings for the cam also independentof the door; and a lever-bar; the thread of the said cam adapted toengage and move the said door; in substance as set forth.

7., The combination with a movable door suitably supported, and providedwith a slotted plate, of a stationar screw-cam; said screw-cam whenrotated being adapted to en.

gage the plate on the door and shift the same;

in substance asset forth.

8. The combinationwith a movable door, of a stationary rotary screw-camindependent 0f thedoor; and a lever-bar pivoted to.the end of thescrew-cam; said lever-bar adapted to be thrown out from the plane of thedoor -to a position oblique thereto when thescrewcam is to be revolved;in

substanceras set forlhx i 9. The? combination with a movable door, ofmeans forelevating and shifting the same; -anda centering-device adaptedto come into engagementwith a fixed element when the door is elevatedand move the said door lat-, erally ;1 in-snbstance as set forth.

10-. The combinationwith'a movable door,

and fixtures, constructed substantiallyas set forth,'- of agrooved-bracket; and-a centering device on the door adapted'to engagethe stance as set forth. I

' 11. The combination'withamovable door,

constructed substantially-as set forth, of a centering device; and abracket having a groove Sand the metal removed at 9 .9, to

form beveled edges; as specified.

12. The combination with-a movable door, of means for elevating andshifting the same; hangers on the door; and brackets adjacent and forthe purpose the door-opening; said hangers and brackets being providedwith. grooves and projections which intermesh; whereby the door isguided in its movements; in .substance asset forth.

13. The combination with a movable door, of hangers having projections;and brackets having oblique grooves and adapted to receive theprojections andguidet-he door in its upward and downward movements; insubstance as set forth.

14:. The combinationwith a' movable door,

of hangers provided with arms; brackets supporting a track; and ascrew-camfor raising the door from the track and moving it to a closedposition in substance as set forth.

15. The combination with a movable door, of hangers having-arms bracketssup-porting the'track which is engaged by the arms of the bracket andmove the door laterally; insnb- 7 IIO- hangers; a screw-cam; and acentering-deof a screw-cam; a rod, as 40, adapted to be moved by thecam; and a grooved bracket;

-in substance as set forth.

20. The combination with a movable door,

of a screw-cam independent of the door; a rlever bar pivoted to the endof the screw-cam and a staple as 27; in substance as set forth. 21-. Thecombination with a door having at the top hangers provided with arms andat the bottom a grooved plate, of atop door-track supported by thebrackets; a screw-cam; I 5

means for rotating the screw-earn and cansin g it to engage the groovedplate and shift the door from the track to a closed position;

in substance as set forth. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature 2p in presence of twowitnesses.

CHRISTOPHER F. THOMAS.

Witnesses II. R. BURKE, A. II. Rooms. 7

